Crime and punishment, but what about rehabilitation?

The South African penal system has failed and as a result crime remains out of control. This is the harsh and uncomfortable reality that is plaguing society, and the country’s haunting crime statistics attest to that.

One reason for this is the lack of rehabilitation opportunities available to offenders. The allure of falling back in…

NWU study investigates anti-apartheid themes in Setswana poetry

North-West University (NWU) academic Karabo Mangwekea recently conducted a study to explore the prevalence of anti-apartheid themes in transitional and modern Setswana poetry.

The study…

Space, billionaires and our new age of going to the heavens

There was a time when superpowers fought proxy wars and the world teetered on the brink of oblivion. There was a time when men rode behemoths called Redstone, Atlas, Titan and Saturn to the heavens underneath hundreds of thousands of pounds of thrust, and the names Sputnik, Laika, Gagarin, Shepard and Glenn…

Covid-19 tragedy is more than just numbers

Numbers are a part of life. And although we might be getting numb, disconnected and desensitised to all the numbers with which we are bombarded daily, we should not get used to them. We should not lose sight of what they mean, explains Professor Alida Herbst, Director of the School of Psychosocial Health at the North-…

Erica writes her way to first place

A writer will often say that they find writing more difficult than the average person, but for North-West University (NWU) student Erica Harris writing is seemingly effortless.

Erica, who is pursuing a master’s degree in media studies, was recently announced as the winner of the RSG…

NWU School of Music launches book on musicing and spirituality

On 3 December 2021, authors and members of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications (MASARA) research niche area hosted a hybrid launch of the book titled Ritualised belonging: Musicing and spirituality in the South African context.

Extraordinary professor June Boyce-Tillman, Prof…

Renovation of Education Library

The extension and renovation of the Education Library (C6c) on the Potchefstroom campus will start in January 2022. Site handover will take place on 11 January and the estimated time of completion is July 2022.

The spaces of the current Education library will be renovated and a double storey extension will be added to the front of…

Professor Phil van Schalkwyk delivers inaugural lecture

Professor Phil van Schalkwyk delivered his inaugural lecture, titled: Die lewende verlede van die letterkunde (Literature’s living past).

His lecture focused on carrying out an exploration of the human relationship with the past, specifically in a literary-artistic context. In the…

Worse growth figures confirm damage to economy

“The worse-than-expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth figures for the third quarter of 2021, if taken together with the recent record unemployment numbers, confirm in particular the serious damage that the civil unrest earlier this year and the persistent load shedding have done to the South African economy.”

NWU School of Music does it D-I-Y style 

The School of Music at the North-West University (NWU) started with face-to-face classes very early in the pandemic due to the personal nature of its curriculum. This year they decided to face the challenges they encountered as a result of the pandemic head on.

To ensure that…